Quick-Fire Quips is a questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with Courtney Dombroski, founder and executive director of the coastal nonprofit Eco Clean Marine.
Baillee: Hey, Courtney, how are you? I'm so happy to chat with you today!
Courtney: Yeah, thanks for having me!
Baillee: So, for those who are unfamiliar, can you tell me what Eco Clean Marine is all about?
Courtney: Eco Clean Marine is a local nonprofit that's extremely passionate about making a difference right here in our backyard along the Gulf Coast. We pick up trash to keep our waterways clean, and then we're also extremely passionate about educating and inspiring kids.
Baillee: Something new and exciting that's coming out right now is a scholarship. Can you tell me about that?
Courtney: Yeah! So, I had this idea where I wanted to get more kids involved and inspire them—to be able to help kids with education, no matter if it's environmental education or just general studies education.
We started this new thing: a Student Scholarship & Leadership Program. This year, we're giving high school kids the opportunity to help raise money, fundraise, and volunteer.
We have two fundraisers; whoever raises the most money in each of those will be highlighted. Also, whoever volunteers the most and collects the most hours will be recognized and given a scholarship for the hard effort and energy that they put into our local community.
Baillee: That's so exciting! All right, now that the introductions are done, let's get you warmed up to answer the questionnaire. To do that, I want you to say "Quick-Fire Quips" three times fast.
Courtney: Okay. Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips. Okay, I think we got it! Yeah, I really had to think on that one.
Baillee: Okay, yeah! Here is the first question: What comes to mind when you hear "Alabama"?
Courtney: Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, and our white, crystal-clean beaches.
Baillee: When you're getting a beach bag ready to go, what are you tossing in there?
Courtney: Definitely need some snacks, tons and tons of water, sunscreen (preferably an umbrella), a trash bag and then a speaker.
Baillee: If you're going out and you really want some local seafood or just a really good dinner, where are you headed?
Courtney: One new spot that's really caught my attention lately is Coastal. They're right on the beach. The food is amazing. You have the bar side or the restaurant side, which are two different options for food, but everything at that restaurant is biodegradable—the plates, the straws, the silverware, everything. It's amazing!
Baillee: Yeah, that's really cool! What is a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Courtney: They think that it's just like a country town. I think a lot of people don't realize that we have such beautiful beaches here; they don't know that we're kind of a little beach town, and it's not as "country" as you think.
Baillee: Okay, let's talk a little bit more about Eco Clean Marine. First of all, tell me about the Feed the Fish machines.
Courtney: Feed the Fish is my for-profit business that I had for about ten months before I had the inspiration to start the nonprofit, Eco Clean Marine. What happened was, I was servicing my machines—I'm out by the water all day—and I had this need to volunteer.
It just kind of clicked one day; I saw the need and I'm like, "Oh my God, I'll pick up trash. I see the problem; I'll help solve it."
So, that's where the inspiration came from. Something special, too, is that 10% of everything that goes into the fish-feeding machines goes back into the nonprofit, Eco Clean Marine. We even have special locations where 100% of the profits go back to the nonprofit.
Baillee: You have the machines on different points on different beaches. So, you don't have to go too far out of your way to see one of these?
Courtney: No, not at all. We have this online interactive map that will take you around town to all the fish-feeding locations. A really good example is in Orange Beach, we have five machines down Canal, so you can go visit each machine.
The cool part is being able to see different ecosystems. We have some out by the saltwater, some in the lagoon—you know, we have some where you see alligators and turtles. It’s really cool to see the different types of ecosystems around here locally.
Baillee: Are there still the free downloadable e-books that come with the machines when you're feeding them?
Courtney: If you're interested in learning about the local marine life, you'll see the birds and the fish, and you might even see a few turtles. You can identify the turtles and teach the kids what they're seeing.
You can go online to our website and you'll see the free e-book [Local Marine Life E-Book]. You can download that, and then we also have another e-book for kids as well [Kids Eco Adventure: Protecting Our Oceans]. It's educational, it's fun, and it's really meant to get people out there for ecotourism!
Baillee: You talked earlier about seeing trash, picking up trash and helping with the trash problem—that's a big focus with Eco Clean Marine. Can you tell me about the monthly trash pickups that you guys put on?
Courtney: Yeah! Eco Clean Marine plans a trash pickup about once a month. We'll go out to a location—Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan, Destin, all the way to Panama City—rotating the cities in and out.
This year, instead of doing an hour, we're doing an hour and a half to put in an extra 30 minutes. We'll go out there on a Saturday, pick up trash, bag it up, and put it where it belongs—in the dumpster.
Then we have the rest of our Saturday to enjoy, but we start our day off by making a difference in our local community. You'd be surprised how much trash we can pick up in really just an hour.
Baillee: And if you can't make it out to a trash pickup, you can still buy a "bucket of trash."
Courtney: Yes, ma’am! You can buy a "Bucket of Goodwill Trash." All the buckets of trash that are bought help provide supplies for our volunteers. It helps provide hydration (waters that are plastic-free), snacks, Germ-X, gloves—anything and everything that our volunteers need during a trash pickup.
Baillee: Do you have any upcoming events to throw out there for people to mark their calendars for?
Courtney: Yes! We actually have an upcoming event [on] March 28th. That's when we're doing one here in Gulf Shores. We have another one on April 4th in Pensacola.
Anytime we have a trash pickup, we always send out the Eco Clean Marine newsletter to let people know. We always update our website and our Facebook events, so you can keep up with us there.
Baillee: Perfect. Okay, what is something that you wish more people knew about when it comes to coastal wildlife?
Courtney: I think it's really cool to see that we have unique species here in Alabama that don't exist anywhere else.
I learned that we have this pitcher plant; it holds water, and frogs—they don't live in it, but they kind of hang out in these pitcher plants during the summertime because of how hot it is. That's so cool to me, to know that we have unique little things here in Alabama.
Baillee: You talked about the restaurant, Coastal, with biodegradable utensils and things like that. You talked about picking up trash.
What is one small thing, or one small swap—just one tiny thing—that someone can do with minimal effort that will help the environment?
Courtney: I think depending on the lifestyle someone lives, it can vary so much. It’s just about finding what works for you. One thing that's worked for me personally is when I go to the grocery store, I try not to use plastic bags. I try to just bring my one bag and use that.
Someone once said to me, "Well, I recycle the plastic bags," or "I make sure they end up in the trash can; I'm not throwing them out the window." I completely understand that, but it's the in-between part—going from your trash can to the truck—where it might get ripped and fly out.
You might be doing your part, but it could fly out of the truck and end up in the ocean. The scary part about plastic bags is that sea turtles get confused, thinking they're jellyfish because of the way they float, and then they eat them.
One thing I learned this past year is that sea turtles' throats aren't like ours. If we swallow something, it can come back up. The way their throats are made, if they swallow something, it cannot come back up. Once they swallow something, it's in their stomach.
Baillee: What is your favorite coastal animal, and why?
Courtney: Sea turtles. I just love them so much. I actually got to see my first wild baby sea turtle about three years ago.
I was out in the Orange Beach Pass, looking at the water, and then I saw him! I was like, "Oh my gosh!" I tried to go underwater to look at him real quick, and he was gone—fast. So, I've just always had a love for the turtles.
Baillee: Do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Courtney: No. I look at fear as a mile long but a foot deep. You just kind of have to go for it.
Baillee: I like that! Okay, tell me something on your bucket list.
Courtney: I want to travel to Japan—that would be really cool. And I've kind of always wanted to milk a cow. Weirdly different things!
Baillee: I get the appeal! My great aunt had a goat farm when I was growing up, and I got to milk goats a pretty good bit. I actually won a goat-milking contest one time when I was 15 years old.
Courtney: That is so crazy! That should be on your "Two Truths and a Lie."
Baillee: Honestly, it's one of my brags. I'm really proud of that! Okay, tell me: what is your favorite getaway spot in Alabama?
Courtney: Oh, the Gulf State Park. Easy, hands down. I take my bike out there with a little book bag and just get lost for the day. I'll be gone!
Baillee: Okay, here's the last question: What does Alabama need?
Courtney: Alabama needs more young entrepreneurs. That's what we need.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That was Courtney Dombroski, founder and executive director of the coastal nonprofit Eco Clean Marine. I'm your host, Baillee Majors. Click here for more Quick-Fire Quips!
Keep up with Eco Clean Marine:
— Website
— Facebook
— Instagram
— TikTok
— YouTube
